Maps · head to head
ArcGIS Survey123 vs Global Mapper
ArcGIS Survey123
Maps
Form-centric field data collection that writes straight into an ArcGIS organisation
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Global Mapper
Maps
A GIS and lidar desktop that still sells a genuine perpetual licence with published prices
- From
- $700/one-time
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: ArcGIS Survey123 the app is free and the licensing is not: every person completing a secure survey needs a paid ArcGIS user type, so a hundred-person field programme costs tens of thousands a year before anyone counts credits.; Global Mapper it is Windows only with no macOS or Linux build, so mixed-platform teams end up running a virtual machine and lose graphics performance on large point clouds
- They diverge on capability: ArcGIS Survey123 covers XLSForm authoring, Global Mapper covers Format breadth.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ArcGIS Survey123 and Global Mapper actually diverge.
| Attribute | ArcGIS Survey123 | Global Mapper |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | $700/one-time |
| Pricing model | Per user per year by ArcGIS user type | One-time purchase |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Windows | Windows |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maps).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ArcGIS Survey123
- XLSForm authoring
- Web designer
- Offline collection
- Direct ArcGIS write
- Repeats and nested records
- Media and signature capture
- Webhooks and integration
- Reports
Only in Global Mapper
- Format breadth
- Lidar processing
- Pixels to Points
- Coordinate transformation
- Terrain analysis
- Scripting
- Mobile companion
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ArcGIS Survey123
- A water utility recording hydrant inspections that must appear on the corporate asset map the moment they are submitted, not after a nightly importnot Global Mapper
- A local authority running a public consultation where anyone can submit without a licence, while staff review responses in an ArcGIS dashboardnot Global Mapper
- An environmental monitoring programme with complex conditional forms authored in XLSForm and completed offline in areas with no signalnot Global Mapper
- A field crew already licensed for ArcGIS Field Maps that needs structured forms alongside map-based editing without adding another vendornot Global Mapper
Global Mapper
- A survey office that receives lidar in a different format from every client and needs reliable conversion without writing scriptsnot ArcGIS Survey123
- A consultancy that wants to classify ground points and extract building footprints from a drone survey without an Esri enterprise agreementnot ArcGIS Survey123
- An organisation with an irregular workload that wants to buy the licence outright and skip maintenance in quiet yearsnot ArcGIS Survey123
- A geologist producing volumes, contours and cross sections from terrain data on a standalone office workstationnot ArcGIS Survey123
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ArcGIS Survey123
- The app is free and the licensing is not: every person completing a secure survey needs a paid ArcGIS user type, so a hundred-person field programme costs tens of thousands a year before anyone counts credits.
- Esri does not publish user type prices on its main pricing pages, so buyers reconstruct the cost from marketplace listings or a sales conversation, which makes budgeting an ArcGIS rollout unnecessarily opaque.
- Credits are consumed by geocoding, storage and some analysis, and a data collection programme that generates heavy attachment volumes can burn through the bundled allowance and trigger a mid-year top-up.
- It is useless without ArcGIS. There is no standalone deployment, so the decision to use Survey123 is really a decision to buy or keep an ArcGIS estate.
- Form authoring splits between a web designer that is easy but limited and XLSForm plus Survey123 Connect that is capable but requires learning a spreadsheet syntax, and teams routinely start in the wrong one and rebuild.
Global Mapper
- It is Windows only with no macOS or Linux build, so mixed-platform teams end up running a virtual machine and lose graphics performance on large point clouds
- The interface has grown by accretion over two decades and features are scattered across menus, so new users are slow to find capabilities that are already installed
- Node-locked perpetual licences are tied to the machine identifier, so a hardware refresh or a failed workstation means a support request rather than a login on a new device
- Multi-user and web publishing are weak relative to Esri or QGIS with a server stack, so it is a desktop analysis tool and not a platform for sharing data across an organisation
- Published prices apply to North America and differ elsewhere, so buyers outside that market must go through a reseller and cannot rely on the listed figures for budgeting
Pricing, plan by plan
ArcGIS Survey123
On request- Survey123 appFree
- No separate charge for the app itself
- Requires an ArcGIS Online or Enterprise organisation
- Public surveys can be completed without a licence
- Creator user type$undefined/year
- Required to author and publish surveys
- Foundational user type, can administer the organisation
- Includes an annual credit allowance
- Mobile Worker user type$undefined/year
- Required for each person completing a secure survey
- Dependent user type, must be added to an organisation with a foundational licence
- Public marketplace listings have shown around $400 per year
Global Mapper
$700/one-time- Global Mapper Standard, node-locked$700/one-time
- Perpetual licence tied to one machine
- First year of maintenance and support included
- Renewal 245 USD per year, optional
- Global Mapper Standard, floating or dongle$1050/one-time
- Shared between users or carried on a USB dongle
- Maintenance renewal 365 USD per year
- Network licence 2,100 USD with a two-seat minimum
- Global Mapper Pro, node-locked$1750/one-time
- Adds lidar classification, feature extraction and Pixels to Points
- Maintenance renewal 610 USD per year
- Upgrade from Standard version 26 costs 1,050 USD
- Global Mapper Pro, floating or dongle$2625/one-time
- Shared or dongle licence
- Maintenance renewal 915 USD per year
- Network licence 5,250 USD with a two-seat minimum
Which should you pick?
Choose ArcGIS Survey123 if
- You need xlsform authoring.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
- You also want web designer.
Choose Global Mapper if
- You need format breadth.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want lidar processing.
Questions people ask
- Is ArcGIS Survey123 or Global Mapper better?
- Neither clearly leads. ArcGIS Survey123 starts at On request and Global Mapper at $700/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ArcGIS Survey123 or Global Mapper?
- ArcGIS Survey123 starts at On request and Global Mapper at $700/one-time.
- Does ArcGIS Survey123 or Global Mapper run on more platforms?
- ArcGIS Survey123 runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows. Global Mapper runs on Windows.
- What is ArcGIS Survey123 best used for?
- ArcGIS Survey123 is most often used for a water utility recording hydrant inspections that must appear on the corporate asset map the moment they are submitted, not after a nightly import, a local authority running a public consultation where anyone can submit without a licence, while staff review responses in an arcgis dashboard, an environmental monitoring programme with complex conditional forms authored in xlsform and completed offline in areas with no signal, a field crew already licensed for arcgis field maps that needs structured forms alongside map-based editing without adding another vendor. Of those, a water utility recording hydrant inspections that must appear on the corporate asset map the moment they are submitted, not after a nightly import and a local authority running a public consultation where anyone can submit without a licence, while staff review responses in an arcgis dashboard are not what Global Mapper is typically brought in for.
- What can ArcGIS Survey123 do that Global Mapper cannot?
- ArcGIS Survey123 covers XLSForm authoring, Web designer, Offline collection, Direct ArcGIS write. Global Mapper covers Format breadth, Lidar processing, Pixels to Points, Coordinate transformation.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
ArcGIS Survey123: Is Survey123 free?
The app is. Using it is not, unless your surveys are public. Authoring needs a Creator licence and each person completing a secure survey needs a Mobile Worker, Editor, Creator or GIS Professional user type.
Global Mapper: Is there still a perpetual licence?
Yes. Blue Marble sells perpetual node-locked, floating, dongle and network licences that keep working after maintenance lapses.
ArcGIS Survey123: How much are the user types?
Esri does not list them on its main pricing pages. Public marketplace listings have shown roughly $700 a year for Creator and $400 for Mobile Worker; confirm with Esri or a distributor for your region.
Global Mapper: What is the difference between Standard and Pro?
Pro is an add-on to a matching Standard licence and carries the lidar classification, feature extraction, Pixels to Points photogrammetry and advanced terrain tools.
ArcGIS Survey123: Can respondents fill in a survey without a licence?
Yes, if the survey is shared publicly. Secure surveys require a licensed user type.
Global Mapper: Do I have to pay maintenance?
Only for the first year, which is included. After that it is optional; without it the software continues to run but you receive no upgrades or support.
ArcGIS Survey123: Does it work offline?
Yes, in the mobile app, with sync when connectivity returns.
Global Mapper: Can it replace ArcGIS?
For desktop format conversion, lidar and terrain analysis, often yes. For enterprise data management, web services and organisation-wide sharing, no.
ArcGIS Survey123: Is it the same as ArcGIS Field Maps?
No. Field Maps is map-centric editing; Survey123 is form-centric. Many organisations license both, which doubles nothing because user types cover the whole app suite.
Related pages
More on ArcGIS Survey123
More on Global Mapper
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